QUINCY – Irene Winters was well aware of Wollaston Beach’s tainted reputation when she walked chest-high into the ocean.

“I still have my arms and legs,” Winters said with a smile as she laid out on the beach following her swim. “No extra fingers growing or anything.”

The waters off Wollaston Beach weren’t nearly as packed as Nantasket Beach in Hull or some other South Shore beaches Wednesday, but a scattering of people sought relief from the muggy weather in the much-maligned waters off Quincy Shore Drive.

Although bacteria counts and beach closings have been reduced at Wollaston in recent years, the city’s state-owned beach still has a reputation among visitors as an unsanitary place to swim.

“I would never jump in that cesspool no matter how hot I am,” Catherine Mulcahy of Quincy said as she sat on a bench on the street side of the sea wall.

Kevin Mathi of Quincy said the water is much cleaner than in past years, and he praised the work that has gone into reducing the pollution. On Wednesday, Mathi said he splashed sea water onto his face and arms.

The state’s Department of Recreation tested four different sections of the 2.3-mile-long beach on Sunday, and every test said the water was acceptable for swimming. However, the next day, Save the Harbor Save the Bay’s released its annual report card ranking Wollaston 12th among the 15 public beaches on Boston Harbor, based on 2013 water samples.

Last year, the report card ranked Wollaston seventh out of the 15 beaches.

Dave Smith and his two sons, Michael, 17, and Davin, 10, of Mattapan, were flying kites along the shore, soaking in the sunshine. Dave said Wednesday was more about enjoying outdoors, and swimming wasn’t on his to-do list.

“If I’m going to have a real beach day, I’ll head up north to Salisbury,” he said. “Out of the city (there’s) cleaner water, you can see the difference.”

Reena Francis of Hyde Park said she dipped her feet into the water but was hesitant to go all in.

“I don’t know what’s in there,” she said, then later added: “I will go in eventually.”

Winters, who lived in Quincy up until five years ago, said she’s not ready to dunk her head into Wollaston’s sea water, but she felt comfortable submerging the rest of her body.

Page 2 of 2 - “It’s definitely getting better compared to five years ago,” she said.